Egyptian 2½ millieme coin
Kingdom of Egypt |value= 2½ milliemes = 0.025 ersh = 0.0025 pound |years= 1933 ( 1352) |mass= 3 g |diameter= 19 mm |thickness= 1.5 mm |composition= cupronickel |shape= (eight-sided) |alignment= medallic |edge= plain |obverse= , monarch title |reverse= and Islamic dates, state title, value }} The 2½ millieme coin is a former circulation piece of the Kingdom of Egypt, issued in 1933 under (1868–1936; r. 1917–1936). It was distributed by the Egyptian government and produced on contract at the Kings Norton Mint in the United Kingdom. Prior to its eventual demonetization, the piece carried a legal tender face value equivalent to 0.025 ersh, or 0.0025 pounds. The coin is composed of a cupronickel alloy, weighs 3 grams, and measures 19 millimeters in diameter and approximately 1.5 millimeters in thickness. It has medallic alignment and a plain edge, and unlike most coins, is (eight-sided) in shape. Both rims are raised and decorated with a dentillated border. Displayed in the middle of the obverse is a left-facing portrait of King Fuad I with a on his head and a uniform, along with the chain of the and shoulder guards, on his upper torso. Designed by English artist Percy Metcalfe (1895–1970), this likeness first appeared on a series of medals from 1927, minted in commemoration of Fuad's visit to the United Kingdom that year. On the coin, Metcalfe's initials, "PM", are engraved in small print over a portion of the king's torso. The caption " " ( : Fu’ād al-Awwal Malik Maṣr), translating as "Fuad I, King of Egypt", is inscribed in a counterclockwise direction from the lower left to lower right peripheries of the obverse, interrupted between the words " " (al-Awwal) and " " (Malik) by Fuad's likeness. The " }}", equivalent to the "2 ", are printed in a large font in the middle of the reverse. Engraved below, arched in the direction of the bottom rim, is the text " " (malīmāt wa-nuṣf), which translates as "milliemes and a half". This rendering of the value is only partially complete, as it lacks the necesssary " (iṯnān), meaning "two". Flanking the value to the left is the date " " (1933), and written to the right is the equivalent, " (1352). The Arabic state title of the Kingdom of Egypt, " " (al-Mamlakah al-Miṣrīyah), is written in large font along the upper and lower rims of the piece, with the word " " (al-Mamlakah) displayed in a counterclockwise direction along the top of the reverse and the " " (al-Miṣrīyah) appearing in the opposite direction at the bottom. According to the popular Standard Catalog of World Coins, a total of approximately 4,000,000 examples of the coin were produced. While most examples are business strikes, a handful of non-circulated specimen coins are known to exist as well. As a one-year type, the 2½ millieme piece is not as common as the contemporary 1, 5, and 10 millieme coins, which were struck over a span of a few years. References *Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – 1352-1933 Egypt 2-1/2 Milliemes KM# 356 *Numista – 2½ Mallīmāt - Fuād I (2nd portrait) - Egypt *Catawiki – Egypt 2½ milliemes 1933 (AH 1352) *WorthPoint – 1933 Egypt 2.5 Milliemes PCGS SP64 *The E-Sylum – Coin Designer Percy Metcalfe * Category:20th century coins Category:Coins of the British Empire Category:Coins of Egypt Category:Coins with Arabic inscriptions Category:Coins with Gregorian dates Category:Coins with Islamic dates Category:Coins with medallic alignment Category:Cupronickel Category:Dated coins Category:Egyptian pound Category:Octagonal coins